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Municipal Reporter

Chitungwiza Municipality has started engaging residents, with Zanu PF acting Chitungwiza mayor Councillor Kiven Mutimbanyoka vowing to bring sanity to the town which has been run down by the opposition councillors over the past 20 years.

Speaking following a series of stakeholder meetings in the town, Cllr Mutimbanyoka said his mission was to bring back order and sanity at Chitungwiza Municipality.

“A lot has actually been happening and it is unfortunate our people have been disenfranchised from the desired services that they require,” he said.

“We have decided as the leadership that is pro-people, to address all these challenges by way of engaging the residents so that we hear from them what exactly they want us to address.”

Cllr Mutimbanyoka said they had been conducting various stakeholder meetings with residents so that they were guided in terms of what needed to be done and what priority areas they could look into.

“So far, we have done remarkably well in terms of these engagement programmes,” he said.

“Things are happening and our residents are happy. Chitungwiza is starting to take shape.”

Cllr Mutimbanyoka said residents will no longer have any challenges in terms of sewer and potholed roads as these are being addressed.

A resident, Mrs Sharai Dzimati, said she was delighted that residents were now being consulted.

“We last witnessed this way back that a mayor meets people on the ground with the whole management reporting back the status of the council,” she said.

“This shows us that the mayor has a clear direction that may redeem Chitungwiza. In this town, sewer is flowing inside homes, yet we have councillors in our wards. The report back will assist us plan accordingly.”

Mrs Dzimati said the past mayors were only concentrating on enriching themselves at the expense of the residents.

Chitungwiza Residents and Ratepayers Association secretary general Mr Felix Chihoro said there was need for a forensic audit to weed out corrupt personnel in the council.

“A forensic audit is needed like yesterday so that things can move in the right direction in Chitungwiza,” he said.

Zimbabwe Old People’s Association chairperson Mr Tinos Mbuyiswa pleaded for the council to regularise at least half of the properties in the town.

“The burden of service delivery is always on our shoulder since most registered properties belong to us,” he said. “What it means is we are paying for all the services enjoyed by all other age groups with unregistered properties.”

Mrs Fortunate Chayambuka was glad that Cllr Mutimbanyoka was leading a series of stakeholders meetings.

“It is our wish that when we elect people to represent us they should report back to us,” she said.

“We have many challenges since most of the councillors fail to report back to us.

“In some areas, we do not even remember the councillors’ faces. It is as if our councillors are only focusing on land issues. Service delivery has deteriorated, water woes, sewer bursts all over and uncollected garbage.”

Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trusts Chitungwiza chairperson Mr Obert Matsika said the major challenges in the town were centred on corruption.

“Corruption has paralysed our council, especially on tenders that were being awarded to companies doing roads rehabilitation,” he said.

“They did shoddy substandard works on our roads.”